Twenty Fordham Law students from Adjunct Professor Jerry Goldfeder’s Election Law class visited the United States Supreme Court on Thursday, January 22, 2015, for a unique 45-minute informal meeting with Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The Justice met the group in a conference room right off the Court itself. After opening up the meeting with brief welcoming remarks, she answered a series of student questions, addressing topics including her personal experiences, whether she follows up on the impacts of the Court’s decisions, and the reasons for an increase in election law-related cases. Several students asked about the particular challenges of women lawyers.
“The Justice was warm and thoroughly engaged and, of course, extremely thoughtful,” said Professor Goldfeder. “I was told that she very much enjoys speaking to young people, especially to law students, and this clearly came across.”
After the meeting concluded, photos with the Justice were taken, and then the students met with one of her law clerks.
“With the Justice’s clerk there was a lot of give-and-take that provided great insight into the way Justice Sotomayor works, the relationship among law clerks throughout the Court, and how decisions are crafted. There was no question that the law clerk thoroughly loved her job.”
This was the first time Professor Goldfeder had arranged such a trip for his class, and he hopes to provide similar experiences to future students.
“I was obviously very pleased to be able to arrange this visit. It enabled the students to learn about the judicial process in a very special way—and to meet a very special person.”
In addition to the meeting with Justice Sotomayor, a Supreme Court docent gave the students a tour.
Professor Goldfeder also arranged for a staff person from Congressman Eliot Engel’s office to give a tour of the United States Capitol, which included visiting the Old Supreme Court Chamber, used before the courthouse was built. Engel, whom Professor Goldfeder has represented for many years, met with the students as well.
Professor Goldfeder, Special Counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, has taught Election Law at Fordham Law School since 2003. He practices election and campaign finance law and represents elected officials as well as candidates for public office, including mayor, governor, Congress, and president of the United States. He is the author of the treatise Goldfeder’s Modern Election Law and co-writes a regular column on Government and Election Law in theNew York Law Journal. Prior to joining Stroock, he served as Special Counsel for Public Integrity for then Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo
In the fall 2015 semester, as the presidential election season begins to heat up, Professor Goldfeder will teach Election Law and the Presidency at Fordham Law.